Die Now Kthnx
by StarrNight
Summary: Sequel to Love Sucks. Being a teenager is hard enough without being smacked with the fact that even adults aren't perfect. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, and sometimes we lose BIG time. Love doesn't suck...but why does it have to be so complicated?
1. Prologue

_Hello, hello, and hello! Welcome to Die Now Kthnx. For those of you who haven't been following the MTM series; no sweat, this isn't technically a part of it. You don't need to read any of those stories, but you WILL need to read __Love Sucks__. Really. Otherwise you won't understand all that's going on--like pairings and such._

_Thanks to everyone who has been waiting. Hugs and cookies and confetti for all. And now we all belong. _

_Enter!_

_If you dare._

_Lawl._

Die Now Kthnx

_Prologue_

_Hello new diary. I love the feeling of writing in the first page of a crisp new diary with unruffled pages that are begging to be filled with memories. It's my custom to name my diaries, so I shall do that right this minute. How about…Katie? No…too bratty. Anna? Too stuck-up. Hallie? Heavens, no. Uh…Jana? Hey. Yes. I like that. Your name, oh diary, is now Jana! Isn't that exciting? _

_I suppose I should begin this diary with a bit of an explanation about myself. My name is Cherry. Cherry Lu Syre. I am nearly fifteen years old. There are three kids in my family. I have an older brother named Jack and a younger brother named Samuel. Jack's alright, I guess. He's your typical fifteen year old brother who rumples my hair, fusses at me for wearing too much eyeliner and likes to threaten any guys whom I come in contact with. Not that I come in contact with a lot of guys…Forget-Me-Not Valley is a small town and everyone knows everyone else. Samuel, or Sam, is twelve and is a whiner. He's the only redhead offspring in the family. _

_My mother's name is Nami and my dad's name is Jack, hence my brother's name. They're pretty neat. Mother is very smart…dad…not so much. But all the same, my dad is way awesome as far as dads go. He's not an idiot, but both he and I get lost when Mother goes on one of her tangents about theorems and the like. Mother has bright red hair that almost blinds you when you look at it. That's where Sam got his amazing head of hair. Jack and I look like Dad. We all have brown hair, but mine is red at the tips. Dad's a real down-to-earth type of guy. I'd hang out with him any day. Maybe that's not cool. I wouldn't know. I'm not exactly the paragon of cool._

_If you want to see the paragon of cool, you need to talk to my best friend, Kaye. Her real name is Bessie Kaye, but she hates her first name because of whom she was named for. She was named after a cow who was allegedly her father's friend. If you only knew her father, Rock Childers, you wouldn't think that this story was so far-fetched. Mr. Rock is a little off his rocker, I think. (Oh, my; a pun. Har har har) Kaye's family is rich. Her mother, Mrs. Jill, bought the old haunted mansion that sits at the top of the hill. It was abandoned for the longest time, or so Dad says. A friend of Mom's used to live there, but she died or something. Kaye has a younger sister named Taddie. Taddie is eleven and has her head screwed on tightly, unlike her sister. I bet you're wondering why I'm so harsh on my own best friend. Don't get me wrong, Kaye has her good points. She's loads of fun. Her nose just needs to be brought down a bit, that's all._

_Kaye has this huge crush on Kai Carr. He's an idiot if you ask me. His mother is some big supermodel and his father runs the modeling company. Muffy and Hunter Carr are their names. Kai's an only child. In that respect I envy him sometimes. He doesn't have toerags like Sam sneaking around his room all the time. Kaye calls Kai 'hott' and 'sexy hunk of guy'. She amazes me; she really does. Kai isn't hott and he certainly isn't a 'sexy hunk of guy'. Wow. That's Kaye for you. Drama queen all the way._

_The other family in the valley is the Rands. They're kin to us. Aunt Celia is Dad's sister. She's married to this old grump named Uncle Marlin. I have three cousins, June, Summer and Catch. June is fifteen and is one of those really irritatingly responsible girls that are always being bragged on by the mothers of the town. She's supposedly this really great cook and seamstress, too, just to compound the problem. Kaye calls her Miss Perfection, but I think she's just jealous because she can't sew her way out of a cloth bag._

_Summer hangs around Jack a lot. He's a fun person to be around, but he likes to moan about his name. He says that only girls are named Summer and that it constitutes as mental torture to make him endure a female name all his life. I don't know about that. Summer Rand. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? It's better than…say…Dwight Rand. Or Gelberto Rand. I like the season of summer. _

_Catch is just what his name says--a catch. At ten years old, he's already one heck of a charmer. You just want to hug him every time you pass him. He's a cuddlebear, but hates being cooed over by the women in the town. He has black hair like his sister and wears a permanent look of precociousness. There's nothing wrong with the kid. _

_Oh, I forgot Carl, didn't I? Carl is weird, there's no way around that fact. His parents are fruitcakes, too. Daryl and Flora are their names. Daryl Crane is a scientist and he used to sneak around our farm and poke our animals. I used to be afraid of him until I learned that staplers scare him. Now anytime I go for a walk past their house, I stick a stapler in my pocket so I can chase him off if I want to. Carl has blonde hair and black eyes. He's actually not bad looking, but it's unnatural how nerdy he is. He's fourteen and he's already planning a list of what chemicals to pack when he moves into a college dorm. There's something to be said for preparation…but still…_

_Forget-Me-Not, my hometown, isn't as low on the technology scale as it used to be. We have cell phones and computers and motor scooters. The internet is a wonderful thing. Now, when Dad first came to this valley, a refrigerator with a built-in ice maker was big cheese. That reminds me of a conversation I had with Dad and Kaye._

"_You should be thankful for your cell phone!" Dad told me. "Back when I first moved here, there were no telephones except at the Blue Bar, Aunt Celia and Uncle Marlin's farm and in Daryl's lab."_

"_Back when you were young?" said I. "While people were still sacrificing things on altars?"_

_Kaye turned to me and said, with a deadly serious look on her face, "When was that, the sixties?"_

_No. It was not the sixties. What does Kaye do during history class? Oh, wait, I know. She stares at Kai. Silly me--forgetting an important detail such as that. _

_We have a traveling teacher that comes to FMN two seasons out of the year. He has a son named Julian. Julian is fifteen, I think, and helps his dad out when not actually in class himself. He's really smart, Julian is. Well, so is Mr. Paine, the teacher. He'd _have_ to be to drill any knowledge whatsoever into the likes of Kaye. _

_School is held at Kaye's house, so I guess she must feel relaxed in the setting. Mrs. Childers is forever popping in and out of the classroom, keeping an eye on her daughters. It doesn't do any good. Kai sits on the front row, so it looks like Kaye is watching the teacher when she is, in fact, not even aware of his presence. Taddie, Catch and Sam all pay attention. Jack, Summer, Julian, Kai and I are half-there, half-not. Of course Carl and June are paying perfect attention like the perfect nerds that they are. Goody-goodies. _

_Hey, I didn't tell you about Bella, did I? Haha, she's the Childers' maid. The woman makes a mean cinnamon scone, but she's a bit…different. I'll tell you tomorrow, I promise._

_Alas. Dad's calling me to check the barn. It might be Daryl. I'll carry a stapler with me. _

_Buenos Noches,_

_Cherry Lu Syre, Esquire_


	2. Always Start at the Top

_Zhomg time slipped through my fingers like a silken scarf…and here's another chapter. Sorry for the wait. I took a long time sitting down and planning out a rough outline of what is going to happen in this story…lots of details, lots of details. I dunno how it's looking right now. Hope you like it. As always, no flames and I love all my reviewers with a burning passion. _

_Thankies thankies thankies to The Scarlet Sky, 1angelette, Moonlit Dreaming, HarvestMoonGlows, Kuruk, cloudy.skye, Ekoaleko, like red on a rose, and snowpenguin55! I would respond to each one individually, but I'm short on time. _

_Starry loves youuuu! _

CHAPTER ONE: Always Start at the Top

The Goddess hadn't been seen for nearly ten years. She and Celia kept up a great friendship until one day she disappeared without any warning, save a rather cryptic goodbye. One might suppose, with the Goddess gone, things would have fallen into a state of disrepair. This, however, was not the case. No falling asteroids had been reported, no carnage appeared in the news, and Armageddon seemed as far away as a star in the night sky.

Though every day pushed hope of the divine's return farther and farther away, Celia couldn't help but peer curiously into the waters of the Goddess Pond every time she wandered up the path lit by the tall, phosphorous, jewel-like blooms. The humble farm girl considered her life blessed by far. She had a devoted husband, three amazing children, and a home in a valley filled with greenery, comradeship, and a certain sheen of magic.

What a shame Vesta couldn't be here to see it. The buxom woman had passed away three years ago, after suffering a heart attack. No matter how hard they tried, neither Marlin nor June; Summer nor Catch; Muffy nor even her brother Jack could make the acidic hole in her heart go away. No, it was the Goddess that helped her heal. For that she was grateful…but now the wondrous woman was gone. Just…gone. Vamoose. Sayonara. Ciao. Bye-bye. Auf weidersehen.

"Mama! Summer won't say that I won the game! I won! Make him say it," yelled a voice from inside the shed beside the main house on Celia's farm. The voice belonged to Catch, youngest son of the Rand family.

Summer, oldest son, piped up: "You did not, you sneak. You were hiding a king!"

"Liar!"

"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!"

Celia stepped through the door and sighed. "Come on, now. Behave."

June, the oldest and the only daughter, looking as dignified as fifteen years would allow, spoke in a reverently hushed tone. "I tried to stop them, mother, honest I did."

"Ah, hush up, Miss Two Shoes," Summer said.

"Oh, _honestly,_" June moaned.

Summer fluttered his eyelashes at her and smiled. "Oh, _honestly_! Oh, _honestly_!" A laugh from Catch encouraged him to continue. "Oh, _honestly _mother, these wicked, wicked boys! I can't believe they're my brothers! Oh, _honestly_!"

Celia rolled her eyes and left the shed, giggling a bit once outside. From the inside she could hear June yell, "Stop it!" and Summer mimic her again. She, as a mother, was good at masking amusement, but even her rock-solid control slipped a bit as her straitlaced daughter hissed, "Brats!" at her brothers. Such fun.

----------------------------

_Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock._

Cherry Lu Syre took one hasty glance at the clock on the schoolroom wall and instantly regretted it. It had only been seven minutes since her last look--but it felt like at _least _an hour. "Have you ever noticed," Bessie Kaye whispered to her best friend, "that Julian looks _nothing _like Mr. Paine?"

_Of course I have, stupid. Anyone with eyes could see that, _Cherry thought irritably. "Yeah, I guess," she whispered back. Mr. Paine, the 6-10th grade teacher, was dark and stocky, nothing like his tall, slim, honey-and-cream son, Julian. If the coloring weren't enough, they even had differently shaped and colored eyes. Mr. Paine's eyes were a slanted, glittering green, and Julian sported soft, wide, warm brown irises. It was kind of spooky. _Perhaps he takes after his mother…_Cherry mused. Just look at Sam. He looked nothing like Jack. No, Sam was Nami all the way.

When she mentioned this to Kaye, however, Kaye just laughed quietly in an annoyingly superior kind of way. "Nonsense, darling. I don't buy that for a minute."

"Well, why not?"

"Because."

"Because it's too boring, right?"

"No! I just don't like it," Kaye said loudly.

The girls realized that Mr. Paine had been standing in front of them for a while. "So picky, Miss Childers. What don't you like this time?"

Cherry grinned nervously. "Heh heh heh…he-ey there, Mr. Paine. Sorry."

"Thank you."

Kaye's face had turned apple-red in the meantime. She slumped down in her seat and stared at her desk. She muttered audibly: "Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, did Kai see that? He's gonna be so disgusted. Oh, my gosh."

A look at Kai showed that the boy was far from disgusted. As a matter of fact, he was snickering. When he caught Cherry's eye, he gave her a cheesy thumbs-up. Cherry rolled her eyes and sighed. Dorkus.

The only ones disgusted were June and Jack. But as far as Cherry was concerned, those two could take their distaste and stick it where the sun don't shine. Kaye, on the other hand, pouted and whispered, "Why is your brother giving me such a disapproving look? My gosh."

"Because he's a gay fagwad, that's why. Geez. Why do you care?"

"Just wondering."

And so passed yet another day in the classroom.

---------------------------------------------

"Daryl! Daryl!" A knock resounded on the steel door of Daryl and Flora's lab. "Open up in there!"

Daryl, the hunched-over, black-haired, local mad scientist, slumped over to the door and opened it a crack. "Kate. Not you again."

"Yes, me," the twenty-seven year-old woman replied. "Do I have any mail?"

"No. No! And for the last time, no! Like I said, I will tell you when he sends you mail!"

Kate winked at the old man. "I'd believe you…but you have this little habit of forgetting things."

"I do not forget things!"

"Yeah? What'd you have for breakfast?"

Daryl stared at her for a few seconds, obviously trying hard to remember what he had for breakfast. "That…I…that's not important! Oh, get out!"

Kate shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave. "Thanks, pal."

"For what? I didn't do anything for you. Now out!"

The pretty woman was shoved unceremoniously out the door, smirking the whole time. She winked at the door and brought two sticks of jacked brown sugar candy out from her blouse shirt. Ah…nicking Daryl's candy. It was almost like old times. Almost.

You see, it'd been eleven years since she'd seen her best friend and first love Hugh. Eleven long, agonizing years. He'd left promptly when he was seventeen, young, full of dreams and ready to chase after that fantasy life that every young adult thinks they can find or build or win. Everyone except Kate. She, sixteen at the time, knew that he only had disappointments to look forward to until he returned home. It was all a part of being young and stupid. Eleven years passed. He'd promised he'd write to her. He'd promised he'd come back for her. Well, apart from a few letters from the first two years, the former hadn't happened. The latter certainly hadn't become a reality.

Ah, the blissful days of teenage romance. Sunlit hours running through broken rays of golden light, sneaking around the town, doing tests on the Goddess Pond, acting nonchalant around their parents and stealing sweet, sweet kisses at twilight.

When two people love each other, they're supposed to trust each other. So when Hugh promised to return, Kate believed it. He was bound to be all the better for the years spent acquiring wisdom and experience. Some things are worth waiting for, after all. Boys, like wine, grow sweeter after aging a bit.

These thoughts comforted her. She lay back against a tree down by the swamp, let the sun hit her face, felt the brown sugar from the stolen candy melt between her lips, and pretended, again, that it was Hugh's fingers stroking her face and not the salty breeze.

---------------------------------

"Do you think the kids in Wyssh High have to do this history portfolio nonsense?" Kaye pondered, clicking absentmindedly on pictures of assorted queens.

Cherry, staring aimlessly at a stubborn Algebra problem that refused to be solved, shrugged. "I dunno. I guess Old Paine has to go by some kind of curriculum. Every teacher has to. What do you think, Jack?"

"Huh?"

"Do the kids in Wyssh High School have to do the same kind of stuff in school?"

"Yeah. All teachers have to teach the same stuff. Otherwise we'd never pass the national end of grade tests. Duh," Jack said, proud of his knowledge. "I guess we'll find out next year. No more private school. Hooray."

Kaye squealed with excitement. "Oh, I'm so excited! High school! Freshmen! Such glamour!"

Cherry eyed her friend dubiously. "I don't know about that. Supposedly Freshmen get picked on. Do you really want swirlies?"

"Stupid. No one gives swirlies today."

"Heh, heh, and I'll be the one givin' em! Sopho-more, baby!" Jack crowed, slamming his geometry textbook closed. "Where's Bella with that tea?" The three kids sat in one of the Childers' common rooms, taking the time after school to study. Sam and Taddie were in another corner, pasting words on a poster.

"Yeah, she's taking a long time. BELLA!" Kaye yelled, her voice echoing. "BELLA?"

Footsteps hustled up the staircase right outside the door. "I am coming, I am coming! Ze doorbell rang and I had to answer it!" The door opened and in bustled a skinny woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair. She was somewhat flat-chested, and carried a tray. "If your fazzer would answer it himself, I would not have to do zis menial work. I am ze housekeeper, not ze butler! Huh!" She slammed the tray down on a table between Jack and Kaye. Tea sloshed out of the cups.

"Hey, you spilled it…" Kaye complained.

"I zuppoze you want me to clean it?"

"You're the one who spilled it…"

Bella glared at her little mistress and thumped down the stairs muttering about being "ze housekeeper" and not "ze janitor."

Cherry stifled her giggles. "I love Bella. Can she move to my house? She can clean my room for me."

"That'd take a holy act of heaven," Jack muttered.

"No," Kaye said definitely. She picked up a cup of the milky tea and sipped it delicately, grinning at Jack. "Can't you just hear her now? 'I am ze housekeeper, not ze priest!' Besides, who would wash my clothes?"

That was almost sad. Kids these days.

--------------------------------

Rock Childers, the very one who inspired much of Bella's criticism, was sitting in his room, going over finances. Fortune had smiled on him with the arrival of Jill Kahara to Forget-Me-Not Valley. She was slim, fair, and quite rich. Her money agreed with Rock, and yet that miraculously was not the reason he married her. He'd fallen in love with her before he even learned of her wealth. Their courtship had been short, sweet, and to the point. Jill was not one who liked to wait and beat around the bush. Plus Jack helped them out a bit, being only too happy to kick Rock out of his barn.

Now he had two daughters--Bessie Kaye and Taddie. Even now Rock couldn't understand why Kaye hated being called Bessie so much. Bessie was a wonderful cow and anyone should be proud to bear her name! Why, he'd even persuaded Ruby to sew her cow jammies when she was a little thing. He'd had a picture of the outfit on the mantle once upon a time, but somehow it disappeared. _All the better, _Rock surmised, _Kaye was always threatening to get rid of it. At least it disappeared before she could steal it._

Taddie had inherited his straight blonde hair and blue eyes. Kaye was an anomaly, however. Through some recessive gene on her mother's side, she had curly brown hair that she kept dyed a bright blonde. With the mounds of curls, she looked a lot like Muffy. Sometimes that still bothered Rock when he wasn't expecting to see her, or when she was looking particularly grown-up. Some things don't disappear that fast, especially when the problem had moved back to the valley not long after leaving. Married, no less. Yes, she brought the same Hunter Carr back with her, along with a little boy, Kai. Kaye had a _thing _for Kai, which didn't bother Rock in the least. It did, however, seem to upset Jill for an unknown reason. Maybe she didn't like Kai. Or maybe she was just jealous that Rock used to be in love with Kai's mother, Muffy. Whatever the reason was, every time Kaye talked about the boy, she scowled and clammed up.

Women. No man never understands them, even when married to them. One thing was for sure; married life was always interesting.

Oh, if only he knew.


	3. Silver Sequins

lalalalalalalalalalalalal

_Ahhhhhhhhhh I'm so sorry for the long wait! Track and geometry are eating my soul! I am finally on spring break, so I'll try my hardest to write a lot this week. Please forgive me! _

_Thank you sooooo much, HarvestMoonGlows, like red on a rose, Moonlit Dreaming, and The Scarlet Sky! I heart you!_

CHAPTER TWO: Silver Sequins

_Dear Diary,_

_This morning I found Daryl poking around the chicken coop. I ran inside, grabbed my stapler, and chased him off. While running away and yowling at the top of his lungs, he dropped a letter addressed to the pretty woman, Ms. Kate, who lives near the Blue Bar. It was written in a guy's handwriting (which means sloppy!) and was dated from a long, long time ago. Well, okay, seven years ago. That's still a long time. That's half my lifetime!_

_Now, I know it was wrong, diary, but I just couldn't help myself. I opened the letter and read it. Talk about drama! I found out a lot about Ms. Kate that I'd never known before. Everyone knows she's almost as nuts as Daryl and that she works at some unnamed government post in the city, but I never knew she had a boyfriend! I pulled out one of Mother's books on fortune telling and flipped to the handwriting section. His 'e's were kind of round, which indicated a self-interested personality. He slanted his 'f's and 'd's a lot, which indicated that he makes decisions hastily. I also found that his 'i's and 't's were the same height, meaning that he might possibly be interested in athletics? It's amazing what you can find from the way someone writes. Take Kai, for example. He loops his 'q's heavily, which means that he's determined. Huh. Determined to irritate me to death._

_Anyway, I finished reading the letter and was debating whether or not to go give it to Ms. Kate when Quisha, our dog, grabbed it from my hands and ran off with it! I chased her for a while, but had to stop when she dragged it into the milking room and disappeared behind one of the milking machines. Dad has always told me not to touch those machines without asking him, so I couldn't search for her. Perhaps it's just as well. I don't think that letter held any news that would bring a smile to Ms. Kate's face. _

_Whenever I meet this guy who wrote that letter, I'm gonna kick him where it hurts so fast that he won't know left from right. _

_That reminds me of my brother, actually. I was talking to him once about guys and he puffed all up and got defensive. I said, "Do you ever think I'll find a guy who likes me?"_

_He stared at me and replied all huffily: "I hope not. For their sake."_

"_What's that mean? Huh?"_

"_It means, little sister, that I will personally kill the first boy who kisses you. I swear it."_

_That kind of scared me. "What? Why!?"_

_He just waved a hand at me. "You'll find out when you're older. Now leave me alone. Go on, scat!"_

_Isn't that just like a brother? Scare you and then tell you to go away. As for me, I rather fancy that Jack's wife and I shall be the best of friends. You can quote me on that. I hope I know her for a while before they date, though. Just so I can make sure she's up to par._

_Something tells me I won't have to worry about Sam. He's too young for girls, anyway. He still thinks I have cooties. Ha ha I love my little brother. Don't ask me why. It's one of those unexplained mysteries contained in this brilliant cosmos. _

_Nighty-night._

_ Cherry Lu Syre, Esquire_

Kai Carr knew a lot of things. He knew he hated, hated, HATED Forget-Me-Not Valley. He knew he loved and yet disliked his parents more than almost anything. He also knew that he'd liked Cherry Lu Syre for as long as he could remember. Cherry was intelligent, laid-back, had a good sense of humor, and was beautiful to boot. Unfortunately she also, for some reason he'd never understood, hated him. 

It might have something to do with Kaye. It wasn't exactly a secret that she was kind of obsessed with him. Kaye was a very nice girl…but she just wasn't Cherry. Kai had never been one for blonde girls. She looked just a little too much like his mother, Muffy. Or maybe Cherry wasn't into the whole boy-next-door idea. Although technically Kai didn't live next door.

As seasons changed, Kai liked to sit at his window up in his loft bedroom and watch over the ocean behind his home, the Blue Bar. The ocean always held an attraction for him…it made him think of adventure and far-off lands with new and exciting people. There was something familiar about it…familiar and snug. Like a hug from someone long forgotten or dreadfully missed. The temperature in the valley varied with the seasons, but the ocean remained warm. It was something he could always count on. 

Guys weren't supposed to think like this, Kai sometimes thought, but he craved stability in his life. Mom and Dad were always off working in the city or touring with models. Griffin, the old bartender, would stay with him when they were out. When not staying there, Griffin lived in a little apartment beside Dr. Hardy's. The old man was a sort of grandfather to the boy and taught him how to play the guitar. 

Kai had other relatives, sure; mostly on his father, Hunter Carr's side. He had a set of grandparents who lived rather far away and were oh-so proud of their youngest son. He also had an uncle who lived in another town not too far from Forget-Me-Not. Uncle Kai was the person who inspired Kai Jr.'s name, though they hadn't met too many times. There were cousins…two. Both were girls. One was older and not talked about very often. The other was in her mid-teens, named Natsumi. From all the pictures Kai had ever seen, he could tell that his cousin was very pretty; still not as pretty as Cherry, though. She had long, dark, pink hair, and tanned skin. 

Kai wasn't too bad looking himself. He bore curly light brown hair and light-tan skin. His eyes were as blue, blue, blue as the mural of the Caliste River on the wall in the Childers' mansion. At fourteen, he was almost as tall as his father and quite a bit taller than his mother. Muffy thought his height was fantastic and loved it when he set his chin on the top her head. _One day, _they said, _you can come down to Wyssh with us and we can put you in some of our fashion pictures! _…what an offer.

_Thanks, but no thanks, _Kai always replied in his head. There was much about this valley that the boy would love to forget when he grew up. Fashion was part of it. Cherry was certainly not. 

"Kai!" Mr. Carr's voice rang up into his son's loft room. "Come here."

Kai sighed and clumped down the ladder and into the main bar area. "Sir?"

"Look outside at the weather, son. What do you see?"

The boy glared out the window, knowing what was coming. "It's sunny…"

"Exactly!" Mr. Carr exclaimed. "Sunny! Why don't you go outside and play like a normal kid. Ride your skateboard. Shoot hoops out back. Just get out of the house and into the sunshine."

"Sure." Kai bit back his complaint and turned to grab his sneakers. Five minutes later he was out the door and already bored. His mother, Muffy, was in the city, hosting a special event at a theatre. A salty breeze brushed his face and caused him to blink. He turned to the right and was heading for the beach when a figure to his left caught his eye. A glance in that direction showed Mrs. Childers heading in his direction, lost in thought. She lifted her head and flinched when she saw him. Kai lifted his hand in a wave, but she did not return it and instead veered off her path towards the well. 

She always did that--act like he was a plague--though he didn't know why. Perhaps she just heard far too much about him over the dinner table through Kaye--an amusing and worrying thought. Kai would often see her on the days when his father sent him out of the house and when his mother was gone away to the city, like today. Mrs. Childers certainly loved to take walks, though her house was roomy enough. 

Oh, to get out of Forget-Me-Not. Perhaps that's what she wanted as well.

"I swear," Kaye whispered the next afternoon, Monday, "the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that there is something fishy going on with those two." She pointed a rhinestone-studded finger at the teacher, Mr. Paine, and his handsome son, Julian. 

Cherry, deep in thought over a book, merely nodded.

Kaye frowned at her best friend and continued nevertheless. "I mean, Mr. Paine told us that one time that he'd never been married. If you've never been married…where do you suddenly get a kid from? Especially a single _father_; after all, society is rather biased against fathers. No, I don't think Julian came from wedlock. No. Rather something more…sinister…ish."

"Uh…sinister-ish? What, you think _Mr. Paine _conjured his son up using _black magic_?" The Syre girl half-laid her book down and looked at her friend exasperatedly. "Don't tell me. You watched that movie about the voodoo again…I keep telling you not to watch that; it always gives you weird ideas and--"

"No, I didn't watch the voodoo movie! Well…maybe I did, but that's not the point! How else do you explain the way they pronounce their 'r's? Don't you hear? Old Paine skims over them and Julian sort of _jumps _on them…isn't accent hereditary?" Kaye clutched Cherry's shoulders quickly. "It's just plain weird! Unusual!"

Cherry gaped disbelievingly. "Well, what in heavens do you want _me _to do about it? Eat him?"

The blonde-haired Kaye opened and then closed her mouth with a snap. "Hadn't gotten that far." Silence reigned for a minute. "Ah. Mother works in Human Services. I'll look him up and see what I can find."

"Whatever," Cherry agreed, "just as long as you don't get me into trouble."

Kaye looked sincerely hurt at this statement. "Why, Cherry," She whined, "I would never do that."

Cherry almost believed her.


	4. Mayday

_Wahh. No one wants to read DNK. I shouldn't have released it at this time of the year._

_I might possibly put it on a hiatus until summer if I have as few hits as I have been having. Not to be bratty--but people probably are too busy to read right now._

_Thanks as always to m'darlins, The Scarlet Sky, Moonlit Dreaming, and HarvestMoonGlows! Luvs!_

CHAPTER THREE: Mayday

Population in Forget-Me-Not was like the ebb and flow of the sea. People came and then they left. Rarely did whole generations stay in the valley…there was just too little elbow room; too little interaction with the outside world. Sometimes, however, some took the whole "go ye forth and multiply" command seriously. Sometimes people just couldn't stay away.

Or maybe it wasn't that they had any particular to ties to the valley itself…maybe it was something deeper. Something beyond just the land. So often people leave unfinished business wherever they go. When your conscience is in good working order, you tend to worry about these loose threads until they're fixed.

Hugh Sileo happened to be in possession of a rather nice conscience, all things considered. Consequently, he returned to Forget-Me-Not in the spring one year, properly petrified of what he would find there. If I were in his position, I'd feel the exact same way.

…………………………………………………

"And here it is," Hugh announced somewhat apprehensively to the two figures beside him. "Forget-Me-Not Valley; in the flesh. Woot!"

His companions examined their surroundings with critical eyes before nodding briefly. The taller of the two placed a hand on his arm and smiled in an encouraging way. "Shall we head for the Inn?"

"What? Inn? Nonsense--we'll talk to my parents. If we word it just right, they'll be happy to have us stay for a few days until we figure something out." Hugh pointed the two in the right direction, but lingered behind. "You go on ahead. I have some business to take care of first…"

He waited until they had stopped eyeing him suspiciously and began moving away before looking around nervously and setting out in the direction of the Goddess Pond. If he'd learned anything about _au priori _reasoning, this was exactly where he would find what he was looking for.

…………………………………………………

_Turn green. Turn green. _Kate thought to herself as she stared unblinkingly at a minute flask of a gently steaming liquid. _…Please turn green? What? No, no, don't do it…turn _green_, anything but r--darn it all! Not again! _The woman pulled off her lab goggles and gloves and threw them unceremoniously into a heap at the base of a wall. The solution had turned red for the ninth time that afternoon. What could she possibly be doing wrong? Kate buried her head in her hands and watched her mussed brown curls drip between her fingers and in front of her eyes.

"Dr. Hardy?" She yelled, muffled. "Dr. Hardy? Are you there?" As usual, he couldn't hear her. She lived in the apartment right above his in the updated little two-story houses right in front of the Blue Bar and the Inn. The walls were rather thin, allowing for occasional communication between the occupants. With a ragged sigh, she straightened her back grudgingly and walked to the door that led to stairs that led to the street. The stairs were modern--meaning cold, hard metal painted a red that matched the offending color of her experiment.

The air was warm and bore the promise of a swift summer. The seasons didn't really matter all that much to Kate; one was like another. You wore sweats in winter and shorts in summer. Yay. Time to dance the cancan.

This new irritation over the repeated failings of her experimentations had Kate so frustrated that she didn't notice where she was walking until she had walked into something quite solid. Her head snapped up and she was staring into a pair of gleaming black eyes. "Oh. Sorry…didn't see you there…heh!" she mumbled distractedly. A closer look revealed that the black eyes belonged to a woman who was just a little taller than herself. "Are you new to the valley?"

"Oh, yes, we just came in today. My name is May. Pleasure to meet you, Mrs…?"

Kate blushed. "Oh, no, I'm not married. It's Kate. Kate Simons-Brandy. Welcome to our little nowhere. Where are you from?"

"Here and there. I'm from Mineral Town originally," May smiled sadly. "which isn't too far from here. My husband and I traveled around for a while, then settled in Catras…do you know where that is?"

"Indeed I do. Lovely area. What in heavens made you leave there and move here?"

"My husband used to live here and he wanted our daughter to see it. You don't seem to be very attached to Forget-Me-Not…why do you live here?" May wasn't making fun or being sarcastic; merely curious and friendly.

The brunette became slightly distant before saying, "Old ties. Old promises. Waiting for someone. Rather clichéd story, I'm afraid."

May shook her head. "Not at all. Everyone has a story. Nice to meet you. Do come find me sometime and we can talk some more."

Kate nodded her agreement and watched as the woman walked away. She examined her more closely now that the shock of new blood had worn away. May had glossy black hair that she kept in two braids tied with red ribbon. She wore a ground-length red and black dress over which a handmade red shawl was draped. The coloring of her clothes and hair made her look slightly Indian. She was very pretty, no doubt. Kate narrowed her eyes. May also seemed quite intelligent. Perhaps she could be handy.

It wasn't until later that day that she heard the news. "Kate!" yelled a voice, pounding on her door. The distraction caused her to drip more rubbing alcohol into the beaker than she had intended. The mixture immediately turned red. Biting back all of her frustrations, Kate pushed her goggles up on her head and answered the door. Nami stood in the entrance, solemn. "Kate. Thought you ought to know that Hugh's back."

"…what? He's back? HE'S BACK? That's…that's…oh, I'm so excited! Thanks for telling me! Where is he?" Kate's stomach went cold and her heart beat faster.

Nami stared at her distastefully. "Well…he's down by Turtle Swamp. But you really might want to hear wha--" Too late. Kate was out the door, running towards the swamp. "…what I need to tell you…and you're gone."

The air was explosive in Kate's lungs as she neared Turtle Swamp. She passed the Blue Bar…and she could see him; orange hair and all. Her vision was blurred by the energy she was expending in the sprint, so she barely knew where she was going. Jumping over a log, she made to run straight into his arms…only they were already occupied…by no other than the beautiful May.

She stopped short, still grinning. Her gaze drifted from face to face--Hugh's parents were present, as were a few of the other families--but no one seemed pleased to see her. Sure, she'd expected a little awkwardness. Lovers were always a little awkward when they reunited after long absences. But this was beyond awkward. Her eyes finally met Hugh's; and his were scared. His grip around May suddenly seemed just a _little_ too tight and the way her head rested on his shoulder was just a _little _too comfortable.

And the rings on their left hands…oh…Goddess…

"Kate! There you are!" May was speaking, interlacing her fingers with Hugh. "Have you met my husband, Hugh Sileo?"

Kate laughed. An eerie, unnatural sound to one accustomed to her own voice. "We've met." She turned to look at Hugh now, her eyes refusing to meet his. "You've done well with your life, I see! Caught yourself a lovely wife!" She laughed again.

May's face was flushed with pleasure and the happiness of being introduced to so much of her love's past. "Thank you. High praise! Are you a good friend of Hugh's?"

"Heh." This was all Kate could squeeze out.

Obviously fearing what Kate would say, Hugh spoke up. "Just childhood friends. Nice to see you again." His _friend _looked just like she always did, only older and doubtlessly prettier. She even wore a fitted lab coat, now mussed from her run.

"Oh, have you met our daughter?" May pushed away from Hugh and motioned to a little girl who was sitting on Hugh's mother's lap. "Hon, this is Ms. Kate. Kate, this is Summer."

The nine-year old girl looked just like her father.

…………………………………….

"WHAT?" yelled Summer Rand. "Her name is WHAT?"

"It's Summer. Just like yours." Cherry smiled at her cousin, barely containing her giggles.

Another cousin of hers and Summer's brother, Catch, made no effort whatsoever to keep his laughter hidden. "BAHAHAHAAA!! She's got your name!! Haha you're a girl!"

"MOM!" Summer yelled. "I told you it was a girl's name! See? This is proof, Mom! Incontrovertible proof! MOM!"

Cherry rolled her eyes. "Geez. Chill out. She calls herself Summer Jo, so you aren't _completely _identical…and it's just a name."

"It's a girl's name!"

"Girls are named boy names all the time! Think of the ones named Randi or Sam…or Jessie …or even Kelly!"

Summer shook his head mournfully. "That's alright for a girl. It's different for a boy. We have to keep our manhood! It's…just…I don't know! It's the way things are. You wouldn't understand, Cousin Cherry."

"At least it happened to a good carrier of the name. Heh." Cherry smirked at her cousin.

"ARE YOU CALLING ME FEMININE?"

"Geez, PMSing much, Summer?"

"I AM NOT A GIRL! I DO NOT PMS!"

"Goddess, but you boys are touchy…"

…………………………………………

Kate never felt herself walking back home, nor the climb up the stairs, nor did she feel when she closed the door as she entered her house. She found herself in front of her lab table, staring at the still-bubbling gook in a beaker. Nothing in her longed to take up the experiment where it had been left off. Despite the just-now-setting-sun, she headed to bed after switching the burner off. So they had a child. Just another dream cracked and burnt. Summer Jo was adorable and so smart…just like she'd always dreamed she and Hugh's child would be…like she'd always dreamed…every night since he'd left…

The next morning when she woke up, she came into her lab room and sat down in front of the lab table. Longing to distract herself, she reached for a glass stirrer but stopped right in front of it. For the first time in a very long time she just plain didn't want to experiment on something…anything. She didn't want to dig around the Goddess Pond. She didn't want to measure the width of the Sprite's Tree. She didn't want to read the minds of Jack Syre's animals using her special MR machine. She didn't want to do much of anything.

Kate was still in her pajamas; a pair of silky pants and a soft t-shirt. She wandered back to her room and dug through her closet. She didn't want to wear her professional dresses today. Surely there was something else…aha! Finally she pulled out a pair of jeans. They still fit. Imagine. Another search yielded a casual blouse. Without much thought, she pulled them on and brushed her hair, not bothering to tie it with the usual royal purple ribbons.

She didn't think of it much for a while. But days went by and she ignored all her research. She stopped wearing her lawyer attire and finally packed up the contents of her lab, turning it into a personal yoga and dance studio.

It was a crisp day when she sat beside the Goddess Pond and read the newspaper. For once she didn't stare into the waters, trying to see to the bottom and find the divinity's lair. The job ads held a particular interest for her that day.

_Medical Assistant needed: degree required, needs work experience, must have excellent work ethic. To apply, call our offices between seven and four on any workday. Applications upon request._

Kate had gotten her medical degree years ago. For some reason, this peaked her interest slightly. Never before had she had an everyday nine-to-five job. Perhaps even career. Might as well try…you never knew what you missed if you never try. She stood up, dusted off her jeans, and whistled blandly as she strolled out of the Goddess Pond area.

Heartbreak affects different people different ways. For some, it reduces them to a weeping mass of sadness. For some, it turns them bitter. For others…it scoops out or numbs all that made them who they are; until they are a shell. This was the first time Kate had never eyed the Goddess Pond as she left.

It was also the first day in over ten years that it was glowing with an otherworldly light and swirling anxiously, as if welcoming back a friend long missed.


	5. Hot Oil

_Hooray hooray and hiatus over. Sorry folks. I know I've taken way too long. I got a puppy last week and she's driving me rampant running around and trying to eat everything in her path._

_So anyway, here's the next chapter based off my own personal stupidity and as always, review! Haha I love ya'll. _

_**HarvestMoonGlows:**__ Naw, it's not rude at all. Joanna was a terrible mother. May, I think, will be much better. Haha, you're amazing._

_**Like red on a rose:**__ Thanks so much!_

_**Gamerzgal:**__ You're so sweet. Thank you so much and you're fabulous for being so consistent. You need a cookie._

_**The Scarlet Sky:**__ -hugs you to death- Haha here it is for you. Someday I'll write like you, Scarlet. If I'm lucky. And you are correct--I love Kate. I almost feel like she's an OC, though._

_**Moonlit Dreaming:**__ Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if Kate was really still in love with Hugh as much as she was in love with the idea of him. She'd spent eleven years without him. If it had really mattered that THAT much to her, she probably would have gone to seek him out herself. You're quite perceptive._

_**Cloudy.skye:**__ Here I am! And guess what? You're really amazing because you might have guessed a bit of the upcoming plot. Thanks so much for the review._

CHAPTER FOUR: Hot Oil

_Dear Diary,_

_Why, oh, _why _do I always get myself and anyone who is unfortunate enough to spend large quantities of time with me into such predicaments? It's sort of like my trademark, I suppose. When I was nine, I convinced Kaye to climb into a small abandoned fox den near Cody's studio. It really was abandoned, but rather fragile. She happily crawled in, but disrupted the soil and caused a collapse of the den. It trapped her and Cody and Marlin and Dad spent three hours digging her out. She was pretty ticked at me for a while, but learned to laugh about it._

_Then when I was twelve, I convinced my cousin June that it would be really funny to sew bikinis onto all of Summer's action figures. We didn't think Summer would get so upset, but, dang it, he did. He pitched a major fit and we got punished even though June blamed it all on me. Aunt Celia made her spend a whole afternoon painstakingly removing all of the bikinis. I just had to apologize to him. Again, June was pretty ticked at me, but got over it eventually after I said I was sorry enough times. _

_Now I'm fourteen and somehow I've found myself scrubbing my hair with dishwashing soap. Very obnoxious orange-scented dishwashing soap. Ordinarily I would never dream of doing such a thing. Dishwashing soap is supposed to be really bad for your hair…but under these circumstances…I just hope Dad never finds out. _

_He was never keen on the whole idea of Kaye and I's "spa day." I could tell from the mocking tone of voice he used when talking about it. "I hope you girls have…fun…today," he said as he left the farm with Mom on his arm. They were heading off to some kind of seminar. Boys. They just don't understand the finer points of feminine relaxation. You see, to a guy, relaxation involves video games and paintballs. A girl can do that, too, but sometimes she craves a bit of the more delicate things in life._

_We'd researched these home-spa recipes on the internet for days. Finally we'd narrowed it down to just two facial masques and a scrub. Kaye was gathering the ingredients in my kitchen when I called her into my room. "Hey, check this out," I said, pointing at the screen of my ancient laptop. "What do you think?_

_It was a recipe for a hot oil hair treatment. Kaye examined it for a moment and nodded happily. "Yeah! That looks cool!" All you had to do, said the recipe, was heat up some olive oil and rosemary and put it on your hair, then wash it out after half an hour. _

_The day went well. We poured olive oil in a pot and warmed it up, then added some crushed rosemary for the scent. Kaye draped her platinum gold locks over the edge of my tub, and I doused it in oil before wrapping it in plastic wrap and then a towel. She then took my red-brown locks in hand and repeated the process. After waiting thirty minutes, we mutually agreed that I could have the first shower._

_I liked the smell of olive oil, so I thought my hair smelled good at least. Something was bothering me, though. Fifteen shampoos later, I realized it had been for a good reason. The oil wouldn't come out. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed my hair…but nothing happened. When I got out and blow-dried my hair, it ended the exact same as it started--a wad of oily mess._

_What was a girl to do? Dad would be back soon and he would have a fit! I'd never hear the end of it! Kaye hopped in the shower and had the same results. She was, if it was possible, even more upset than I, seeing as how she valued her golden curls so much. "What do we do? What do we do? Ohhh this will never come out," she wailed._

_"Shut up! I'm trying to think! Do you think it will comb out?"_

_"What? Comb it out?" Kaye yelled, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"_

_"Well, do you have a better idea?"_

_That shut her up for a little while. She actually came up with a good idea, though. "Let's ask Mrs. Carr. She's a model, right? She has to know a lot about hair!"_

_We put hats on and practically ran to the Carr's house. "Mrs. Carr!" We yelled, pounding on the door. It finally opened, but it wasn't Mrs. Carr that stood in the doorway…it was Kai. _

_"Kai," Kaye breathed, ecstatic._

_"Cherry," Kai said, a laughing note in his voice. "what do you want?"_

_I gritted my teeth. "Is your mother home?"_

_"Nope. You're fresh out of luck. I'm the only one here. What did you want from her?"_

_Kaye giggled. "We just needed some help. We…kinda did something to our hair and wondered if your mom would know how to fix it."_

_His face became even more amused. "What did you do? Maybe I'll know what to do."_

_"Well, we kinda doused in o--"_

_"SHUT UP, KAYE," I yelled, not wanting Kai to know of my stupidity so he could laugh at it. I stared daggers at Kai, hoping my intense dislike was obvious._

_Kaye glared at me. "Shut up yourself! We put a bunch of olive oi--" She didn't get any further because I tackled her. In the midst of our struggles, our hats came off and our ruined hair flew everywhere._

_"Let me guess. You put hot oil in your hair because you thought it would make it shinier."_

_We stopped fighting and stared at him sheepishly. "Yeah," I admitted._

_"That's easy! I know what to do," he said, grinning like a Cheshire cat._

_"What?"_

_"Well…what's in it for me?"_

_"What do you mean, 'what's in it for me?' What's in it for you is that I don't beat your hind end for not telling us, that's what's in it for you!"_

_"Goddess. You've convinced me, Cherry. Tell you what," he said, pretending to think. "just follow me." He took us back home and grabbed a bottle of Orange Power dishwashing liquid from my kitchen. With it in hand, he proceeded to explain that hot oil treatments don't really do anything for your hair--just the scalp--because the molecules were too large to be absorbed into the strands. Olive oil, it turns out, takes a really long time to come out of your hair unless you use a special soap specifically for degreasing. Hence the dishwashing soap. _

_So that's how I found myself scrubbing my hair with outrageously orange-scented dishwashing soap. But you know what? It worked! When Dad came home, he never suspected a thing. Kai actually stayed around to make sure it all came out of my hair. That was…rather nice of him, I suppose. I guess I'm thankful to him._

_Perhaps._

_While Kaye was scrubbing her hair, he took off for home, but not before turning and saying, "You know, some French bread would have gone real well with that hair…"_

_Ohhh! That little piece of…ohh! I picked up a sofa cushion and chucked it at him. _

_He dodged easily. "See you around, Cherry-cola."_

_Creep._

_Gahhhhh. _

_ Cherry Lu Syre, Esquire_

_………………………………………………………………_

"So tell us, son," Mr. Sileo said to Hugh as the two of them, along with May, Summer, and Mrs. Sileo, sat down in their living room, drinking coffee, "how did you meet this lovely woman?"

Hugh exchanged looks with his wife and laughed thoughtfully. "Well, when I entered into my second year at William's North, I began hearing about some brilliant and beautiful drifter who was changing the way the college's art program was viewing the world. All I wanted was to finish college and get my degree as a teacher, but as the days went by, I just couldn't get away from people impressed with this new May Carr. It was intimidating, I'll admit!"

"Oh, stop!" May smacked his arm playfully. "From the day I arrived at the college, people were buzzing about the handsome sophomore track star. All I liked doing was doodling around on scraps of paper, but you should have seen the way he _owned _that track! Not only that, but he was _so _practical. So many athletes are, as the cliché goes, all brawn and no brain. Hugh, however, changed my mind about jocks. So gallant!"

"You're just biased. After months of hearing about Miss Carr, I decided I needed to meet the cause of such national unrest. Some of our mutual friends agreed to set up a meeting at an association's dance. She was stunning. I was bewitched."

May cut in once more. "Tell me about it! My friends told me that Hugh Sileo would be making an appearance that night at the dance. Oh, but my stomach was all of a flutter…it was ridiculous…being nervous about a boy I hadn't even met! But when we shook hands and talked for the first time…I didn't feel bad at all about being nervous. It was natural. He looked good in black."

"She was dressed in a peacock blue gown…I felt so underdressed…"

"Shut up!" The couple laughed. "We started talking…and…when we graduated…we got engaged and were married. I don't know how it worked so well. You know…you hear about this kind of compatibility in stories…but I never expected to find it myself. Neither of us did. Summer Jo came along a year after the marriage."

The senior Sileos smiled appreciatively. "Where did you live before coming here?"

Hugh though about it, trying to remember. "A lot of places. We were traveling until May decided she wanted to settle down. We made a home in Catras for a long time. Summer Jo started school there. I had a good job as a professor, but I thought it was high time for a visit back to the valley. Summer Jo was curious."

May suddenly looked towards the upstairs. "Speaking of which, I'm going to go make sure she's asleep. I'll be right back." She excused herself and jogged up the stairs.

Chris was quiet for a few seconds before saying quietly, "Have you talked to Kate since you've come home?"

"Um. Not really. We've traded greetings. She has a job at a clinic in the city nowadays."

"…think about it, son. You owe it to her." Wally eyed Hugh, not judgmentally.

Hugh looked confused and Chris tried to explain, "She waited all those eleven years for you…a very nice boy came through and took an interest in her, but she wouldn't even think of it. The whole valley knows you promised to return and marry her. Then suddenly you appeared with May (who is a wonderful person, to be sure!) and it tore her up…no one even recognizes her anymore."

"I sent her a letter!" Hugh defended himself. "Did she not get it?"

"Judging by her reaction…I'd say that'd be a negative." Wally shrugged. "It's your choice. But I'd think about it."

At that moment the conversation was ended as May came halfway down the stairs. "Hugh, Summer Jo wants you to tuck her in."

"Alright. Be right back." He, like May before him, jogged up the stairs.

May sat down on the couch and smiled at her in-laws. "I'm so glad we get along so well…I was worried!"

"Not at all, dear, no worries. Do tell, where did you grow up? Tell us about your parents and your life before college. Where did you get your artistic talent?"

Perhaps it was their imaginations, but May suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Oh, well, I grew up in Mineral Town. It's…um…a long story. Better for tomorrow, maybe. I'm rather tired."

Surprised by her reaction, the Sr. Sileos did not push the issue.

…………………………………………………..

Maniacal laughter cut through the quiet night. Two figures were hunched in the corner of a dimly lit room, perusing a Kleenex covered in scribbles. "It is almost finished, Master! The devil spawn will be ours!"

The stouter of the two smiled indulgently; teeth glinting in the candlelight. "You have done well. Soon my revenge will be complete."

………………………………………………….

Celia was on edge and had been for four days. It felt like it always felt when a thunderstorm rolled through the valley. The air was electric and the hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Nervously she shook her head and stared at a cucumber stalk, willing it to weed and water itself. This, of course, did not happen, so she sat back on her heels and turned her eyes instead in the direction of the little grove behind her brother's, Jack's, farm.

That area had been attracting her lately; something it hadn't done in a long time. A great believer in guy instincts, Celia thusly had spent many evening there, stirring the Goddess Pool with a stick and talking to it until the light of the phosphorescent flowers urged her home. Nothing ever happened. The water was as still as anything. Wherever the Goddess was, she was keeping her distance. Celia had this horrible feeling that perhaps she'd died…but can Goddesses die? Surely not.

Tonight there was no help for it. She stood up and wiped her hands on her textured apron, calling for her husband, Marlin, as she did so. "I'm going for a walk," she yelled over her shoulder as she left the farm. A shiver ran up her spine as she neared the path to the pond. Kate walked past, humming a jaunty sort of song. She smiled in greeting and continued on her way. Celia, still unused to be acknowledged by the woman, began to say something before thinking better of it and also continuing her own path.

The tall flowers were just barely beginning to flow as Celia sat beside the water, feeling foolish. Hitching her skirt to her knees, she faced the pond and sighed. Her hands picked through the grass to find peonies and pink cats which she began to shred into the water. The fragments of flower petals, tiny snatches of colors, rippled across the surface in clumps.

"You know, I still wish you hadn't gone," she mumbled. "ten years ago you told me that I'd be alright. You weren't lying. My life is amazing, but I miss you. That's pretty lame, right? Mmmm…I dunno." She took time to find a smooth stone and chuck it into the very center of the pond, making a splash.

Something moved in the depths. Celia, occupied with finding another stone, did not notice until she turned around. Her eyes grew wide with surprise and delight. It was as if her memories were coming to life. The water shone with a light from within, turned a pleasant cerulean color, and began to bubble. A figure rose from the center; regal, pale, and beautiful.

It wasn't until Celia got a good look at it that she realized something was wrong. "Hey…you're not the Goddess," she said, staring at the unfamiliar woman in front of her.

The woman smiled.


	6. Diana

_Hello! Let's go ahead and get my daily fuss out of the way. Three reviews. Wow. That's an all-time low. I don't think I've ever posted a chapter that only got three reviews. But they were all nice and long and that made me happy._

_Now see? Rant over! This chapter should be much more lighthearted and hopefully it should stay that way for a while. _

_To Kelley28 if she's reading: I will do your oneshot but it's going to take some time, ok? It's a promise!_

_**HarvestMoonGlows: **__If you used mapquest, found me, and poked me, I would drag you to my house and pour olive oil in your hair! Haha, no, we'd go to Starbucks and get frappuccinos and have a lovely day discussing fictions. And Avatar is sexy. He FINALLY got with Katara, right? Woot!_

_**The Scarlet Sky: **__I'm sorry, Scarlet. But you see, I'm Stephanie Meyer to your JK Rowling. Anyway, I was also confused about your sinking feeling. We'll see, won't we?_

_**Moonlit Dreaming: **__Thank you thank you and yes it does indeed connect heavily to Threshold! I'll explain it all in the last MTM story, _**Fictional Truth. **_Thanks so much for reading._

_And another thing. When you review, would you tell me if you like Edward or Jacob better from Twilight? I'm curious! Love you all!_

CHAPTER FIVE: Diana

"Yes…and no," the woman said, grinning in a way that made Celia miss the Goddess's usual smile.

"What does that mean? Who are you? Where's the Goddess?"

"I _am _the Goddess…but I'm not Juno."

Celia was uncomfortable with the newness of the situation. "…Juno? Is that the Goddess' name?"

"Yes. Well, it _was _the Goddess' name. Her time expired."

"Expired? She died?!"

The woman looked up and to the right, clearly unsure how to answer the questions. "No. As a matter of fact, she was reincarnated. You see, every Goddess lasts only around a hundred years. It's a complicated process involving many…er…celestial laws. She got reincarnated after picking a replacement from the mortal world. Viola. Hello."

Confused was rather an understatement as Celia stared at the new Goddess. "Replacement…?"

"Ch'ya. That'd be me. I'm sorry I've neglected getting to know you for the past ten years. That was completely my fault. Juno had a particular attachment to you and I should have gotten over myself faster." The Goddess settled herself back on the water somewhat fussily and turned warm eyes on Celia. "So, anyway, I am Diana. Please just call me Goddess. How may I help you?"

"Um…well I'm still confused. So are you exactly the same as the…uh…the other Goddess?"

"In a spiritual sense, yes."

"So I'll never see her again," Celia said quietly.

The Goddess was quiet. An odd expression was playing on her face. "There are always complications in these matters. But if we try, I think you'll find that it all turns out alright."

Something in her smile reminded Celia of Juno. Comforted, she settled herself beside the pond and returned the smile. "Alright."

"Great. So tell me all about what's happened in the past ten years."

……………………………………………………………………

Muffy did not visit the Syre's farmhouse often. She visited very rarely, as a matter of fact. It didn't fit her lifestyle--all the animals and dirt and dairy products. The kids were often to be seen running around with the dog, playing fetch and racing each other. Muffy loved her son almost more than life itself, but she thought one child was certainly enough. Nami had never seemed like the maternal type anyway…how the Syres managed with THREE was beyond imagination.

Carefully avoiding the scattered dog toys, Muffy daintily hopped up the stairs to the front door of the farmhouse and rang the doorbell. Nami answered the door after a moment and gave the visitor a somewhat shocked look. "Muffy! How nice…?"

"Mmm. Good to see you, Nami. How is the family?"

"Oh, they're fine. The kids are…around here…somewhere," She said, looking around behind her. "Care to come inside?"

Muffy pulled her sweater tighter around her frame and entered the house to sit on one side of the couch. Jack sat on the other side; eyes glued to a football game on the television. "Thanks."

Nami sat on a chair beside Jack. "So what brings you here?" Jack never moved to acknowledge Muffy's presence.

"Do you remember that pageant that you attended for me all those years ago?"

Nami made a face. "Of course I do. How could I forget it? Worst week of my life."

"That's being a bit harsh. I thought you had fun!"

"_I _didn't!"

"_I _did!" Jack interjected, still watching the football game.

"Well, I've been asked to judge another pageant. Since you were such a hit at the last one…maybe you'd be interested? It'd be quite an outing for the family!"

Again Nami made a face. "There's just one problem."

"What?"

"I'm a lot older than I was back then."

Muffy laughed; a practiced silver sound. "That's just the thing! This is a special type of pageant--the semi-annual 'Ladies of Age Pageant!'"

"The WHAT?"

"'Ladies of Age Pageant.'"

Nami glanced at Jack. Sensing that no help was to be had, she turned to Muffy again. "Uh…I'm not sure about that."

"Why not?"

"Don't you think that's kind of…insulting? _Ladies of Age_? I'm not _that_ old! You don't turn into a…a…_lady of age_ until you're…you're…_sixty_!" Nami's eyes were wide.

Muffy looked rather shellshocked. "I don't think that's what it means! It's just to separate this pageant from the one for the twenties!"

"Right! It's to separate the _old_ from the _young_. I see," Nami said, nodding. Muffy continued to flounder beside Jack; apparently at a loss of what to say. "how about I get back to you about it?"

"Okay! Sure! I should go home now…Hunter will be wondering where I am. It's been nice talking with you, Nami…" She stood up and began inching towards the door.

Nami, scowling still, opened it for her. "Right back at you. Come…anytime." She waited until the blonde was halfway across the farmyard before slamming the door and slouching through the living room to sit beside her husband on the couch. "Jack?"

Jack grunted.

"Am I old, Jack?"

Another grunt.

"What does that mean?"

Still not shifting his gaze, the man slowly asked, "What did you say?"

"I said _am I old_?"

All was silent for a few seconds until Jack yelled, "DID YOU SEE THAT TOUCHDOWN? BOOYAH!" As he yelled, he launched popcorn at the screen.

"JACK!" Nami screamed, turning off the television and getting her husbands attention at long last.

"What?" He asked, frightened.

"AM I OLD?"

"No! Of course not! You're barely even middle-aged! You're practically young," Jack assured her.

Nami looked mollified. "…really?"

Jack, relieved to see her cooling off, immediately nodded. "Of course. And--and you'll always be beautiful to me, no matter what age you are."

Nami sank beside him on the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear before kissing his neck.

Normally this sort of behavior would have excited Jack, but today he patted her back and asked very sweetly, "…can I turn the TV back on now?"

………………………………………………………………

_Dear Diary,_

_Ew. Ewww. Ewwwwww. Jack, Sam and I came in the living room this afternoon to find Mom and Dad curled up asleep together. They were fully clothed and everything, but still. That's just too much information._

_You know, I've officially decided that this valley is insane. Not that I didn't know this a long time ago…but now it's official. I mean, it's obviously not enough that Kaye's house is haunted. She tells me all the time about the spirits she hears rattling around in that old mansion. One of them, she says, is a teenager with short hair. There are a few others, but they aren't as distinct. Then again, it could be Kaye that's haunted and not the house._

_No, it's not enough that we've got a local evil genius…or used-to-be evil genius. Miss Kate isn't good for much of anything these days. She wears jeans and blouses instead of her suit and keeps her hair curled. Even so, Patrick, Kassey, and Cody still run from her every time they see her. It's almost like she used to blackmail them or something. That's a ridiculous thought. _

_It's not even enough that we have a pothead hippie living in the woods. Gustafa spends most of his time high, singing off-key about sunshine and love. Mom says he didn't used to always be that way, but that's as far as she'll go with information. Rather suspicious._

_No, no, no. None of these things are enough. No, we have to have a HOMICIDAL MANIAC loose in the valley! A homicidal maniac bent on killing my baby brother! Sam came stumbling, all green faced and sweaty, up to Kaye and me as we were sitting by the ocean. He looked horrible. I asked him what the matter was and he said that he felt really sick._

_I found Jack hanging out with Summer and the two of us took our little brother home, where we found Mom and Dad asleep. After waking them up, we asked him if he'd eaten anything lately. He said that Ruby had given him two cookies earlier that morning. _

_For some reason, that meant a lot to my parents. They exchanged panicked looks, put a cold washcloth on Sam's forehead, and made him lie down and drink tons of water. The entire situation was hushed up and we didn't speak any more of it. After Sam began feeling better, the parental units sat him down and told him never to eat ANYTHING given to him by Ruby. They told Jack and I the same thing._

_I listened at their door later that night and found out that Ruby used to try and poison Mom! She's insane!_

_The funny thing is that I'd passed Ruby plenty of times that day and she hadn't offered _me_ any cookies. Jack, either. Is there any reason she has it out for just Sam?_

_And she'd never seemed to mind Dad. Just Mom. That's really random. Oh, well. So long as Sam stays away from her, I guess it doesn't matter._

_Hey, do think she'd poison Kai if I paid her?_

_Just kidding._

_Auf wiedersehen,_

_Cherry Lu Syre, Esquire_

……………………………………………………

"IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT," a voice screamed late that night. "I said THIRTY ccs of arsenic, not THREE!"

The recipient of this anger cowered in a corner as the fury broke over him like a ocean wave upon an amateur surfer. "I'm sorry, master! Please forgive me!"

The angry one was silent all at once. "You have cost me valuable time because of your weakness." The man continued to grovel at the short one's feet. "Even so…you may have been useful. I have an even better plan."

"Thank you, my all-merciful master!"

"SILENCE!"

"Sorry!"

"I SAID SILENCE!" The evil mastermind continued to think. "Yes…I think this new plan could work out after all. However, if you mess it up this time, YOU'LL be my new target. Understood?"

The man nodded and whimpered. "Yes, master."

"Good." With a final malevolent glare at the man, Ruby blew out the candle, plunging both of them into complete darkness. "…crap. I always forget not to do that. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME NOT TO DO THAT?"

"…sorry, master!"

"SILENCE!"


End file.
